Knuckles Adventure 4: Take All of Me
by Shelfkid91
Summary: It has been six months since Tails' and Shadow's time warp and everything seemed clean until Sonic's world is shattered by a late night attack. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails find the only way to escape is to flee. Story better then Sum. Rated T JIC
1. Let me tell you

_Author's note: Well, this may be a short first chapter, and no, I don't waste anytime getting into, and apperently neither does my character! I hope ya'll enjoy this story, and thank you so much for sticking with my series for so long!_

Disclaimer: All original characters, items, ideas and places belong to Team Sonic and Sega. I do not claim them in anyway!

_Chapter one: Let me tell you_….

I told them that there was nothing to worry about. I told them the Ceaira was fine in Team Chaotix's hands. I believed every word of it, but they did not. I tried to reassure them that our problems were over. My only wish now is that I wasn't lying.

You could say I had a normal day before two o'clock that morning. Ok, honestly, it was normal only because I was sound asleep. What can I say? A lot of people are sleeping at two in the morning, other then Tails, he can be up at all hours of the night. Well, I'm usually asleep at that time, unless Eggman really wants to take over the world at this time, but even he needs to sleep sometime…

I'm getting off topic, aren't I? Sorry, I'm not used to my story being written. Ok, as I was saying, it was pretty normal, until there was a scream in the hallway of the hotel I was staying at. I'll be the first to admit that Station Square is not the safest place in the world, but I'm sure you won't hear random screaming in the hallway at two in the morning.

I jolted awake and before I could get out of the room, the door fell down. Like I said, I was lying when I told Knuckles and Tails that there was nothing to worry about.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," Ceaira hissed. She was in her echidna form. At that moment, I didn't even know she had another form. Boy was I wrong!

"Ceaira," I said shortly, nodding my head in brief greeting. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"Ever heard of dieing?" Ceaira retorted. I flinched, but nothing more.

"As a matter a fact, death never crossed my mind." I smiled a big, fake grin. "Thanks for the concern, though. I'll keep that in the back of my mind."

"You won't be keeping anything in the back of your mind!"

"Is that so? Why?"

"One, you don't have a mind to keep anything in and two, where your going, you won't have anything to worry about."

"Sweet," I said in a sarcastic, but strangely happy tone, "are you sending my on vacation?"

Ceaira gave me a weird look. "Witty banter; you make me sick!"

"Wow! I could say the same thing about you!" I snapped back.

Ceaira didn't bother with a retort. She lunged. Ok, I know I'm supposed the fastest thing on Earth, but I was NOT prepared for an attack. By the time my brain registered the fact that she was lunging for me, it was too late. The green creature had her fists around my neck before I had time to scream. I mumbled something, but to be honest, I have no idea what it was. Furious, I began spin dash. Ceaira wasn't expecting that and she released me.

"Ha, you aren't so tough," I sneered.

"Wanna but, Hedgehog?"

I watched in horror as the echidna began to change. Her bottom dread locks grew until they were almost touching the ground. Her gloves split apart and became normal, but her fist spikes became huge. Her top dread locks changed until they looked almost like Shadow's spikes, only much bigger. I gulped. "Not good…"

She laughed. "Not good indeed, Sonic!"

"What are you?" I screamed.

"Ever heard of privacy?" Ceaira hissed.

"Nope," I said. "Ever heard of kindness and decency?"

"I'm afraid not!" And she lunged again. This time, though, I was ready for her. I lunged for a counter attack. What happened next is a blur. All I remember was I was flying through the air towards her then blinding, burning pain in my shoulder. Now, I doubt you've ever been impaled before, but let me be the first to tell you, it ain't fun. I screamed. The pain was almost unbearable. The edge of my vision was black. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I looked down to see a long spear sticking through, not in, _through _my shoulder. I winced and pulled away, screaming as the muscle and flesh was torn. "Deep breaths," I whispered, hardly audible. I focused on breathing and not the hole I now had through my shoulder muscle and bone. The bleeding was terrible. I could already feel blood running down my arm. For some reason, my first thought was how badly the white carpet would be stained with blood. _My _blood! I felt detached suddenly, like this was happening to on TV. Suddenly, it wasn't my arm that was bleeding faster then I could stop it, it was someone else's. Suddenly, it wasn't my life that was now in danger; it was some faceless person who was bleeding to death. _Get a grip! _A voice screamed in my head. I shook it off. Grip? I didn't know the meaning of the word at that moment. Ceaira was just staring at me. It was like she wasn't there anymore. I shook my head and everything snapped back into reality. Once again, it was my pain, not anyone else's. Once again, it was my problem, my life on the line.

Ceaira sensed the reality check and smiled. "Welcome back. I thought we had lost you."

"It's going to take a lot more then that to kill me, I really hope you know that," I retorted through clenched teeth.

She seemed amused that I still insisted on fighting her, even though I was already light headed from blood loss. "You want to fight? Bring it, blood boy!"

I must have looked sick for a second, because she began laughing. I growled, but didn't lung. Keeping my eye on the spear, I circled her slowly. She never let me out of her sight. When I stumbled, she smiled. This was hardly a fair fight. Without giving her time to think, I lunged for her spear. Before she had time to move, I had gripped the weapon and pinned her to the ground. I held the spear to her chest.

"Do it then, Sonic. Kill me, you have the guts," She growled.

I pushed the spear down on her chest, but I couldn't go any farther.

"What's the matter?" She asked with a sneer.

"Just a little weak," I answered. I wasn't faking it either, but I couldn't bring myself to kill her.

"You can't do it!"

"Yes I can!"

"Then do it, Sonic! End your suffering! Once I'm finished with you, your red friend will pay for what he did!"

I swayed a little. "And what? Is Tails not good enough to kill anymore?" I have no idea why I said that. I knew I was fading faster then I could keep up with.

"You want me to kill your friend too? Sure, I have nothing better to do with my life," she snarled and rolled. I wasn't prepared for it, or in any condition to stop it. I cursed my hero nature, but I didn't have much time to curse it. Ceaira grabbed me and jumped up. The ceilings in this hotel were high. At first, I had liked the idea of high ceilings, now I cursed them. I had never seen this move before, and I wish now that I had seen it and not experience it. Basically, Ceaira threw herself up in the air and right before we hit the ceiling, she flipped over and her feet touched it. With her powerful legs, she launched us both, head first, towards the floor. Right before we hit, she pushed off my shoulders, which sent a new wave of pain through my body, and flew upwards while I continued hurtling towards the floor. It was an instant of peacefulness. All I could see was pure white light. My body became suddenly warm. I can't really describe the feeling, but it was amazing. Somewhere in my mind, I was worried that my back or neck was broken, but it no longer concerned me. The white light became red hot and the pain hit in an amazing wave of red hot fire. I opened my eyes to see an empty room. I figured I had passed out. Ceaira most likely thought I was dead. I reached painfully for my cell phone. I didn't check the time. I didn't care. Without thinking, I dialed Espio's number.

"Hello," he answered. He sounded tired.

"Espio…" I muttered weakly.

"Sonic? Do you have ANY idea what time it is?" He screamed at me.

"Please don't yell at me," I whispered. "And no, I don't have any idea what time it is."

"It's three in the mor…." He stopped short. "Are you ok?"

I could feel myself slipping again. "No," I muttered.

"Where are you?"

"Hotel," was all I could get out.

"Don't move. What happened?"

"She's back," I muttered.

"Ceaira's back?" I nodded, but it didn't register that he couldn't see me. "Sonic? I'll call Knuckles and Tails. Hang in there! We'll be right there." He hung up. I dropped the phone.

"If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again. If you need help…"

I listened to the phone message. The last thing I remembered thinking was the fact that the room I was staying in was a mess and someone had to clean it up. I decided I'd clean up my own blood, and then I went to sleep.

_Author's note: There ya go, guys! _


	2. One Way or the Other

_Author's note: Hey guys! I really hope you are enjoying this story so far! Thanks for reading._

_Chapter Two: One Way or the Other_

When I woke up, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I sure didn't get it. I wasn't expecting to wake up in the middle of the Mystic Ruins with a crude bandage on my shoulder. My head was throbbing, but as far as I could tell, the only thing that got broken was my shoulder bone, but hey, what did I expect? I was impaled, right? I felt very sick as well. Rolling over, I puked. Blood was mixed into the contents of my stomach, but I didn't bother with it. I rolled back onto my back and stared at the sky. Why was I in the forest alone? How'd I get here? And where in the world was everyone else? Espio said that he would go get Knuckles and Tails, but no one was here. I stood.

"Looking for me?" A voice asked. I looked around weakly.

"Ceaira," I growled softly.

"Got a problem, Sonic?" She asked with a snarl. I rolled my eyes. "I thought you were dead, boy."

"Impaling my in the shoulder isn't going to kill me, fool," I hissed. My head swung around, looking for her. "Where are the rest of them? Tell me! Who brought me here?"

I heard Ceaira sigh. "I have no idea, hedgehog. I found you like that."

I jumped visibly. "You mean to tell me you didn't drag me out here!" I yelled. "How many enemies can one guy have?"

"I don't think it was an enemy Sonic. If it was, you'd be dead. You should really consider life insurance," Ceaira said.

"Thanks for the advice. Where are we?"

"The Mystic Ruins, my dear boy."

"No dip, Sherlock Holmes! _Where _in the Mystic Ruins?"

"How am I suppose to know?" Ceaira snapped.

"You mean you followed who ever brought me out here and got lost?"

"Sounds 'bought right," Ceaira said. I groaned.

"You idiot!" I yelled. "Who bandaged me up?"

"What part of 'I have no idea' don't you understand? You are as dumb as you ate fast," Ceaira snapped.

"You are as dumb as you are ugly," I snarled back. She jumped down from a tree and roller her eyes.

"You have no place to talk, hedgehog. You as the one mortally wounded here, and dying from blood loss. I would not be making fun of my enemies right now if I were you."

"And thank goodness you aren't," I said under my breath.

"Wanna say that to my face, Sonic?"

"I believe I just did!"

"Put down the shovel!"

Ceaira and I both jumped. "What shovel?" I asked Ceaira.

"I don't know! Are you holding a shovel?"

I shook my head.

"You both are stupid! It's a saying. You know, dig deeper. You are digging deeper, Sonic, now stop it!"

I rolled my eyes. "Get out of hiding please. I've had enough of everyone hiding from me!"

"Well, you are kind of scary," Ceaira said with a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes. "Very funny," I snapped. The figure in the bushes laughed. "I'm surrounded by idiots," I growled.

"I could say the same thing," Ceaira growled.

"You two make a good couple," the person in the bushes said.

"Gross!" I snapped. Ceaira nodded in agreement. So we could agree on something! Break through, ya'll!

The figure stepped out of the bushes. I gasped. "Mighty?" Man, I hadn't seen that guy in years!

The red armadillo smiled. "Good to see you, buddy," he said. Ceaira looked at Mighty with a curious glare.

"You dragged him here all the way from Station Square because…"

"Me?" Mighty asked. "Man, this is the closest I've been to Station Square in years! I didn't drag Cynic out here. Why would I. And before I forget, what happened to you?"

I shrugged. "Mighty, this is Ceaira."

"Hi!" He said with a huge grin.

"No Mighty, she did this to me," I said.

Mighty's face went serious. "Oh," he said. "Sonic, why did she…" He was cut off. You know how villains can be a bit bipolar? You know, one second they are talking peacefully to you and then they are trying to be your death. Well, this is one of those not so rare times. Ceaira lunged at Mighty with force. I didn't want to get in the fight, but what else could I do? This was mine and Knuckles' fight, not Mighty's. I lunged at Ceaira. She smiled.

"You don't give up, do you?"

"Not on your life. Come on, Mighty!"

Ceaira kicked me in my injured shoulder. I screamed in pain. It was a new wound and it was still bleeding. Mighty kicked out with his powerful legs, and got me instead. I screamed again.

"Sorry!" He said quickly and punched out at Ceaira and actually hit her, but she had a weapon and we didn't. It was soon apparent that I wasn't in any condition to fight and sadly, Mighty wasn't too much of a challenge to beat Ceaira. He wasn't trained to fight this kind of creature. We fled.

After nearly an hour of running we stopped. "Where are we?" I asked, feeling dizzy and sick to my stomach. I knew I was going to throw up again.

"To be honest," Mighty said with a quiet grin, I have no idea.

I took a deep breath, wondering what Knuckles and the gang were going through. When they got to the hotel, I knew all they had found was a large stain of blood.

I picked up my cell and dialed Knuckles.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Knuckles!"

"Oh gosh! Sonic, where in the world are you?"

"Somewhere in the Ruins. Mighty's here."

"Mighty?"

I heard Tails behind Knuckles intake a sharp breath. "Knuckles! Let me talk to him!"

"Sonic, Tails wants to talk to you," Knuckles said.

"Hey Tails," I said weakly.

"Sonic, where's Mighty?"

"Here, why?"

"I have to call Shadow!"

I groaned. After their "warp" or what ever they call it, those two had been closer then ever. "Tails, why do you need to call Shadow. We'll be out soon."

"What happened anyway?"

"Ceaira attacked me, no big."

"Yes, big! You and Mighty stay where you are. Well be there!"

Somehow, I didn't predict the string of events that followed.


	3. Night

_Author's Note: I'm not sure why I'm not receiving any reviews, but hey, I'll continue even if no one's reading! Please keep in mind that I'm not perfect at doing peaceful chapters like this, so it may be short and not that good. _

_Chapter 3: Night_

Mighty told me I should try and get some sleep. In all honesty, I tried, but when you have a hole in your arm, it's hard to get comfortable. I'm not used to just sitting around and thinking. Sadly, I never have the time, but man, my mind can run as fast as my feet. Here I was, sitting in the middle of the Mystic Ruins, lost and injured and incredibly sick. Mighty had fallen asleep long ago and he seemed to want to stay there, so I let him.

If you've never just stopped to think about life, maybe you need to get lost in the forest one day. Don't worry; you can skip the impaling part. That night I learned two things: One, I live life way too fast and two, my life is far from boring. I looked around. There was no sign of Ceaira or whoever dragged my behind out here. I didn't worry too much about the person who dragged me. Like Ceaira said, if they wanted me dead, I wouldn't be alive right now.

I had to get my feet moving. I was still weak from blood loss, but my shoulder had finally stopped bleeding and that made me fairly satisfied with my life at that moment. Without a sound, I painfully stood up and began walking. I knew I'd have to be back by morning, or Mighty would freak, but right now, I was happy.

Now, I know you are asking "how can you be happy at a moment like this?" Well, simple; I wasn't dead, yet at least. The positive of life was the fact that I had survived everything the universe has thrown at me. I shook my head, wanting to run, but I knew I couldn't. I cursed Ceaira for taking that from me, but I didn't dwell too long on the subject. Why ruin such a night?

I realized then that I was different from my friends. Knuckles had all the time in the world to appreciate nature, but never once will stop to smell the roses. He was too uptight for that. He knew his purpose in life and will never stray from it. The ordeal with The Beast had changed my red friend for the worse. If he was separated from us before, he is an island in the sky now. (Ok, bad pun, but it's true.)

He seemed scared; not of his own shadow, but of Ceaira. I didn't pity him, because he didn't want me to. I remembered one of our last conversations we ever had_. Fine! Die up here in your self pity! But I will tell you, it's not the ideal way to go! You will die if you don't get over it soon, and if you aren't going to care and if you are going to be like this, then I won't shed a tear for you!" _Looking back now, I remembered that I never apologized for that statement. OF course I would have cried, no matter how he chose to die. I couldn't believe I had gotten so harsh with him that day. It had been almost two years since we had spoken, and that was the last thing I said to him.

"And you're going to die with that hanging over your head," I snapped bitterly at myself. Ok, so I didn't really think that I was going to die, but who knew? Nothing's written in stone and the mighty will fall.

Now, I bet you want to know about Tails and what happened after his and Shadow's "adventure". To be honest, I have no earthly idea. That day on the beach, six months ago, Shadow had told me to never change. I didn't get why he was telling me this, considering he changed so much and that he didn't care much about us. I still don't get why he told me that. I refused to ask him why. Pride will kill me one day, but I couldn't bring myself to ask him why he cared enough to almost beg me never to change. I wouldn't count Shadow as a friend, but not as an enemy either. Sure, we've had our buddy-buddy moments, but nothing more.

Tails wasn't much help either. Every time I asked him what happened during his and Shadow's trip, he would give me a blank, almost regretful looking stare and shrugged. He would tell me about the past all the time, but when it came to the future, he claimed his memory was a bit fuzzy and that he couldn't remember what happened 10 years later. I didn't believe him for a second, but he seemed like he didn't want to talk about it. I gave him his space, but he never gave me my information. I didn't blame him, but I still wanted to know what had scared him so much.

When I went to stay with him for a few months because I didn't really want to go into a hotel, he would wake up in a cold sweat, screaming most nights. One time it was horrible. He woke up around 5 in the morning, which I guess isn't too bad for him, like I said; he got up whenever he wanted. That kid was screaming. If you've never heard a scream of pure terror, believe me, it's the worst sound in the world. I woke up from the couch and ran upstairs to where his room was. He was shaking horribly and his blanket was thrown to the other side of the room.

"Tails?" I called and ran over to him. He looked at me and his eyes showed fear. It wasn't fear for the dream, or far away fear, but it was directed right at me. A shiver went down my spine.

"Get away from me!" He had screamed. I had stopped dead in my tracks.

"Tails," I began, but he cut me off with a loud cry. During my brief conversation with Shadow on the beach, he had mentioned nightmares throughout the journey. I thought it was a side effect of the Chaos energy. I remember my first Chaos Control. It took a lot out of me, but I had never heard of mental side effects of Chaos Control.

Well, Tails began throwing pillows at me. I thought that kid was going to get up and strangle me. I was tempted to reach for my cell phone and call 9-1-1, but I let him throw. He called my dozens of names. The two that stuck out were "Dictator" and "Chanic".

After nearly 15 minutes of his wild rampage, Tails had finally collapsed, exhausted, on his bed and I just stood there, unable to move; fixed in the spot I had stood during the entire episode.

"I'm sorry," Tails whispered after a while.

"It's ok," I responded.

"No, it's not!" Tails had yelled. I glared at him.

"Don't worry about it, you had a nightmare," I said calmly. He looked at me and ran to his window and jumped out without opening it and flew.

Later that day, he returned and neither of us spoke. I knew he didn't want to talk about it and frankly, neither did I.

Looking back now, I wish I had said something. He had sounded like he hated me, or himself, and it actually scared me. Sure, we all have our moments, but I have never seen anyone go crazy like that. I shook my head. "It's in the past," I said quietly. After that day, I had wanted to call Shadow. There were days when I would reach for my phone, only to draw my hand back. I moved into the hotel I was attacked in a week later.

Three weeks after that, I asked Tails to go get a burger with me, and he refused. Two days after that, I asked him again and he yelled out me, telling me he didn't want to talk about it and I should live my own life. We haven't spoken since, until that time on the cell phone. More often then not, I would see him alone in the burger shop draining soda like there was no tomorrow. I would just walk away.

For the longest time, I thought our friendship was finally dieing, and the weirdest part was, I wasn't worried. I know that sounds harsh, but if he didn't want to be friends any more, I would let him live his life.

Walking around the forest made me understand a lot of things. I was too laid back. I should be worried sick right about now! I should be freaking me head off because I was weak from blood loss and loss in some forest that I thought I knew, and I was losing my best friend and I could be happy throughout all of this? I shook my head. "You've lost it," I whispered and headed back towards Mighty.


	4. A Turn for the Worst

_Author's note: Wow! I _am_ alive! Really sorry about the wait, but hopefully this will be the last time I do that! If it ain't, I give you all permission to smack me with a cast iron skillet!_

_Chapter Four: A Turn for the Worst_

When I woke up, Mighty was gone. I guess I didn't expect him to really be there for me when I woke up. Feeling sick, I stood up. My head spun and I turned and threw up. It was unusually hot outside and I was already sweating. I had to find my way out of there.

My cell phone rang and I picked it up. "Hello?" I asked quietly.

"Sonic? This is Knuckles. Where are you?"

"If I knew that, don't you think I would have told you by now?"

Knuckles sighed. "True enough. So, where's Mighty?"

"No idea."

"You mean he ditched you?"

"No, I think he went for some food."

Knuckles let out another sigh. "Alright, well, we have your phone on the tracker and well be out there soon."

I nodded, but then realized Knux couldn't see me. "Alright. I won't go anywhere." I sat down and sighed. My shoulder was burning and my head was killing me. I turned to my shoulder and took off the bandage. Once again I felt like throwing up, but after my first puking spree, I had nothing left to take out. Looking at my wound, it was red and puffy. "Great," I whispered. "Look's like it's infected."

I put my hand on the reddened skin around the impale mark. Even through my glove, I could feel the heat from the infection. I winced at the pain and leaned back onto a tree. "Well, Sonic old pal, looks like your in over your head," I said to myself. I chuckled. "Talking by your self is insane."

It was pretty quiet that morning. I was wondering why Mighty hadn't returned yet, but honestly, it didn't bother me too much. Mighty was a loner and if he didn't want to baby sit me then more power to him. I wasn't entirely sure when to expect Knuckles and the rest of them, but I was getting hungry. The night before had taken its toll on me and before I knew it, I was drifting back to sleep.

* * *

"Sonic?"

I jolted awake. "Knuckles!" I exclaimed. "You found me!"

He smiled. "We thought you were dead for a second there."

I shrugged. "Join the club. It seems like everyone thinks I'm dead today."

Tails was there as well as Espio, but Vector was not. Knuckles held out his hand and I took it with my healthy arm. A loud whimper escaped, but I quickly stopped myself from making any more noises. Tails turned away from me and I shook my head. "Where's Vector?" I asked.

Knuckles sighed. "He's not in the mood to see me right now. We need to get you to a hospital."

"So you guys know how to get out of here?"

Espio nodded. "Yes, but the real problem is how you got out here."

"No idea. Ceaira didn't drag me out here."

"Didn't think so. Do you know how lucky you are to be alive right now?"

"Yes, I do. Did you guys see Mighty?"

All three shook their heads. "Strange," Knuckles said, "Mighty never struck me as someone to ditch people."

"Maybe he was kidnapped."

Espio, Knuckles and I turned to Tails. I figured he wasn't speaking to any of us. "Kidnapped?"

Tails nodded slightly. I shook my head. "What do you think, Espio?"

The detective shook his head. "Doesn't look like there was a struggle."

I sighed. "Don't worry about him. Mighty isn't really a social kind of guy. He probably just wanted to make sure I was okay and then he left when he thought that I was fine."

Knuckles nodded. "Most likely." Tails did not put in his input. I walked up to him.

"Tails," I started.

He turned away from me. "We need to get back to Station Square."

That rejection hurt me more then Ceaira's spear.

* * *

The walk back to Station Square was torture. Every step was a weak attempt to get to the city. I was in a lot of pain. Knuckles offered to carry me a few times, but I was going to hold onto what ever pride I had left. It took us almost six hours to reach the train station. No one questioned why we were there, but some did take a good look at my shoulder and winced. I just smiled back at them, but how long can one guy act like he wasn't hurt?

Once we got on the train, I just sat on the seat and stared blankly at the wall opposite of me. Knuckles and Espio were talking about something. I didn't catch the conversation. I was too out of it to understand their words. Tails sat silently beside Knuckles. I wasn't entirely sure why he was avoiding me and I knew the answers were with Shadow, but he wasn't here.

When the train stopped, I stood with effort and we headed towards the hospital. Knuckles made sure I was walking okay and Espio had run ahead to alert the paramedics. Tails walked behind us. The one time I looked back, he didn't even bother to look away. He just stared at me with a haunted expression. I shook my head and looked forward. I would get him to talk to me sooner or later.

The hospital people were pretty nice about it. When we got there, I was put on a stretcher and wheeled in. I'm not sure what happened after that, because I passed out again. I do remember, in my half-consciousness, a lot of yelling and screaming. I even think I heard a clap of thunder. I wasn't sure if this was a dream, or if they were really yelling and screaming at each other.

After a while, the screaming in my head calmed down and I slowly woke up completely. Low and behold, Tails was the only one in the room when I did. "Hey," I said.

He jumped and turned to me. Without saying a word, he started heading towards the door.

"Are you going to keep running from me?" I asked, trying to sound less hurt then I really was.

"You need to rest," he muttered.

"No, we need to talk," I retorted.

Tails planted his two-tailed behind in the chair. "Alright, talk," he growled.

I jumped at his bitter tone. "Why does it seem like you suddenly hate me?"

He glared at the floor. "No reason," he muttered.

"Okay, so you're throwing our friendship down the drain for no reason what-so-ever? Great, just great, Tails! I would be happier if I had done something to make you mad at me."

Tails didn't look up. He muttered something that I couldn't hear.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing," he growled.

"Could you quit yelling at me?"

"No!" He screamed.

I jumped fully this time. The pain in my shoulder was intense. "Jeez, forget it then," I snapped back.

"I will forget it!" And with that, he walked out, slamming the door on his way. I sank back into the bed with a loud sigh. "Great," I whispered.

Knuckles came in a few minutes later. "You know, he is under a lot of stress," he said without formal greetings.

"Yes, I do know, but the question is 'why'? He won't even talk to any of us. It would be easier if he would."

"Sonic, the kid's reaching 14 years old. He doesn't need us anymore."

"He never needed us, Knuckles, but I just want to know what's bothering him."

Knuckles shrugged. "The doctors say you had a nasty infection, but they gave you some antibiotics, so you should be fine."

I nodded. "What about Ceaira?"

Knuckles shook his head and stared out the window. "It seems she won't rest until we're dead."

I nodded again, and then sighed. "So, what do you think we should do?"

"Well, Espio and I have been talking and we have come up with a temporary solution. Just long enough for you to heal up."

"Okay, lay it on me. But first, what does Tails think of this idea?"

"He says it is fine, but we were worried you wouldn't like it."

"Try me," I said.

"Sonic, it's time we take a vacation."


	5. Friendship Hardships

_Author's note: Hey guys! You might have noticed that I have a new story up. This in no way means that this series has gone down the drain. _

Chapter Five: Friendship Hardships

"A vacation?" I asked, shocked. "You mean, run away?"

Knuckles wince visibly. "Yes, actually. Just until everything calms down. It's a temporary arrangement. Come on. Just so you can heal up!"

I sighed, but knew he was right. I was in more pain then I had ever been in, and maybe if we got away for a while, it would give me a chance to talk to Tails.

"What about Chaotix? Your girlfriend doesn't seem to like them anymore than she likes us," I said.

Knuckles stared daggers at me. "One, she is not my girlfriend, and two, who stinkin' cares about Chaotix right now?"

"Well, aren't we mister grumpy gills," I muttered.

He looked about ready to punch my lights out, but he seemed to calm down. I nodded. "Wouldn't want to hit me, would you?" I asked.

"You are so lucky that you are in a hospital bed, or I would make sure that you ended up in a hospital bed!" I lifted an eyebrow at him and smiled. He grimaced and turned away. "You need a nap."

"Oh, _I_ need a nap? I think you need one too, pal," I said. He turned to face me again and rolled his eyes.

"Forget it, you're as hopeless as ever," he muttered with a laugh.

"She broke me arm, not my spirit," I retorted, tossing one of my pillows in his direction.

"Yeah, you are annoying, and never forget it."

"You won't let me," I growled. "So, when do we leave?"

"Well, the doctors say you can leave the hospital tonight. You will be staying at Tails' house and we leave tomorrow."

I gulped. The whole idea of having to hang out with the twin-tailed fox for a full night in which both of us will not be able to sleep at all. "Can't I just go to Angel Island?" I asked.

It was his turned to lift an eye at me. "No, I'm not going to Angel Island. Hopefully the Emerald will be safe. I asked Espio to keep an eye on it for me while we're gone."

I groaned openly. "You are trying to make my life miserable, aren't you?"

"I try," He said and walked out.

"Well, good riddance to you!" I yelled after him.

I heard a defiant snort from outside the room and laughed. I wasn't looking forward to going to the fox's house. I'd prefer, actually, to stay in the hospital until they were ready to leave, but it seemed Knuckles wanted us to make up before we went on 'vacation'.

I still couldn't believe that Knuckles wanted to flee from his problems. But, in an odd way, I couldn't blame him. This was a bit closer to home then I would have liked it to be, and it seems that she wasn't just trying to scare us anymore. I shook my head and laid my head back on the pillow and waited until it was time to get out.

* * *

Around five that night, I was released. No one was there to make sure I made to Tails' safely, and to be honest, I was very glad about that fact. I didn't need an escort. I had a huge cast on my shoulder and people did stare to look after for a second. I didn't care. So what? I had a cast on my arm. Well, whoop-de-do for me! 

Ok, it bothered me more than I was willing to let on. I shrugged it off with my good shoulder and continued my walk. No bothered to stop and ask what had happened. It didn't bother to explain. People got casts on all the time. _But,_ I thought, _people don't get impaled by their friend's ex-girlfriend every day. _I sighed again and started to sprint. It felt good to be running again. I ran up to the train and jumped on right before it left.

I settled down in a seat. People looked over at me. I gave each one a smile. They smiled back and went back to their lives. That how it was these days. Your business was your business and mine was mine. No one seemed to care anymore about other people. I shook my head and laid it back. Why did I care if other people cared?

When the train stopped, I hurried off, but I wasn't too quick to get to Tails' house. I really wasn't looking forward to the whole vacation thing. We weren't on the same level anymore. To be honest, sometimes it feels like we don't even live on the some planet anymore.

I knocked on his door. "Come in!" Tails yelled. I opened the door. "You know, you don't have to knock," he said.

"Yeah, I know, but lately. . ."

"Lately what?" Tails asked.

"Don't bite my head off," I said and planted on his couch. "Where's Knuckles?"

"Beats me," Tails answered. I finally looked at him. He was pretty much covered in grease and oil and had a black rag slung over his shoulder.

"Working on the plane?" I asked. He nodded. "Just taking a break?" He nodded again, looking a bit annoyed.

"I have to get back to work," he said and walked into the basement. I sighed and followed him. The workshop was a dump. The tornado looked a bit like it had found its way into a very large meat grinder.

"What happened?" I asked, just trying to make light conversation.

"I crashed it a few months ago and I haven't had time to fix it up. I figured it would be useful in our vacation."

"Why don't we call it what it is? A getaway and your plane is our getaway vehicle."

"Well excuse me! I thought you would want a vacation!" Tails growled. I could feel the air crackle between us. Tails shook his head and turned back to his plane.

"Jeez, sorry," I snarled. "I just think it's stupid to run away from our problems."

Tails turned around. "Do you really want to go there?"

"Maybe," I said, seeing where this was going. "But, hey, you know all about cowardliness, don't you?" I winced the second the statement left my mouth. But I ended up screaming as I felt a very sharp pain in my hip. I glanced down and a screwdriver was embedded in my left hip. Three inches into my hip!

Tails stared at me with a horrified look in his eyes, and I lost it. "I. . . I didn't mean to!" He exclaimed, but his words were lost in my blind fury and pain. I yanked the screwdriver out of my hip and hurled it back at him. He caught it quickly and held it up like a dagger. I snatched up a metal pole and we faced each other like murderers. I could see the screwdriver in the fox's shake. I was pretty sure mine was shaking too. This was the very first time we had faced each other with weapons raised.

I felt a new wave of pain in my hip and lunged. Tails screamed and dodged quickly, swinging his tails. I had never felt the power of those things, but they really hurt. I yelped and fell to the ground. My face was burning. I swung the metal pole and felt it hit its mark. Tails cried out in pain and grabbed his head. He doubled over and I saw blood trickling down his forehead. This didn't stop my rage.

Tails stabbed out at me, but I was too quick for another painful stabbing. As I dodged, I swung the pole. Tails jumped over the pole and landed another tail whip in my face. After I was hit, I grabbed his tail and threw him against the wall. He screamed, but a loud thud cut off his yell. He snarled and pushed off the wall. He swung the screwdriver and it cut right under my eye. Any higher and I would have been blind in that eye. I screeched in pain. Tails halted at the yell. We were both covered in blood and grease. The Tornado was splattered with blood as well.

"Sonic, what are we doing?" He asked, but I didn't listen to him. I lunged again with a wild growl.

A white, spiked glove entered my view and pain exploded in my head. I vaguely remember hitting the floor. "Tails go to your room!" A voice screamed. Tails muttered something, but was cut off. "_NOW!"_ The voice cried. I heard feet running upstairs. Whoever was there yanked me up by my good arm. My vision cleared back up and I saw Knuckles staring at me, anger burning in his eyes. "Are you mad?" He yelled. I snarled, still angry at Tails, and pulled away from the echidna's grip.

"What about you?" I yelled back. "Mind your own business, Knuckles!" He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I'm not going to fight you or Tails, so cut the act. I understand things have been tight between you two, but snapping? You're better then this."

"Leave me alone," I growled. "Wake me when this is over!"

Knuckles grumbled back at me. "Wake me when you get an attitude change," he snarled and stormed upstairs.

I growled and punched the wall. "Great, hedgehog," I said, finally cooling down. "You should apologize." I nodded, but I waited a few minutes for my mind to stop boiling. I sighed and looked at the Tornado. It was really dirty now, worse then before. I walked over to it and picked up a rag. Slowly and quietly, I began to scrub the plane. I'm not sure how long I spent on cleaning the Tornado. By the time I was finished, though, my arm was burning with the strain of attempting to get the stains out, but my mind was clear and I was ready to talk to someone.

I walked up the stairs slowly. I stopped at Tails' door and could hear voices.

"You have to tell him sooner or later," Knuckles was saying.

"I know," Tails answered, "but after what just happened, it's apparent that he isn't in the best mood in the world right now. He doesn't seem to want to know the truth right now."

"Well, it will be better for him to hear it from you than Shadow. If that happens, than he'll be more mad at you. It won't anger him as much as you think. You did the right thing, whether or not you think so."

I heard Tails sigh. "After that show, it'll be a miracle to mend this friendship."

"You were both in terrible moods. You haven't been yourself since you came back from your warp."

Tails laughed slightly. "Yeah, I guess. I just need time to cool off, I guess, but I wish it wasn't so hard to tell him. I mean, what if that really happens. After that fight, I wouldn't doubt that he has an evil side to him."

Knuckles sighed. "Yeah. Hopefully he hides that side of him from now on."

I turned away and walked down the stairs. I had heard enough. I settled down on the couch and tried to get to sleep, but I never did. Sleep never claimed my wounded body, mind and soul. I just stared at the wall until the first rays of sunlight came into the window.

_Author's note: Please R&R. I would really love to hear your opinion on this story, good or bad, and if you are a silent reader and you don't like reviewing, I still thank you for reading this._


	6. The Journey Begins

_Author's note: Yeah, I'm still here! So, this is the next chapter! A bit of an interesting piece, sort of. _

_Chapter Six: The Journey Begins _

"Ready to go?"

I jolted and looked at the person who was calling me. "Sure thing, Knux," I muttered. I was incredibly tired after my all night stand.

"You look like death," Knuckles said. "Did your shoulder bother you last night?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "Getting impaled isn't the best experience of my life."

Knuckles cocked his head at me. "Are you okay?" He asked. "You really look like you aren't feeling well."

"Maybe I'm just getting the side effects of the medication the hospital gave me."

Knuckles walked over to me and examined me with his eyes. "I think we should take you back."

"Who are you," I snapped, "My mother? Let's just go already!"

I turned around. "What's eaten' him?" Tails asked.

"I have no idea, but it better stop eating him before I make it stop!" Knuckles growled. I rolled my eyes and picked up the pack that had my extra bandages.

"Move out," I snarled. Tails glared at me and when I went to return the glare, he suddenly became interested in the floor. My head was swimming with what I had heard last night. They thought I was evil, or at least, that's what I got out of the conversation. Now, I just had to figure out _why_ they thought this. "I'll be waiting for you two outside." Neither one of them looked up. I grabbed my cell phone. It was time to get rid of my pride once and for all.

"Hello?"

"Shadow?"

"Sonic? How did you get this number?"

"From Tails," I answered truthfully.

I heard Shadow sigh. "Look, if he doesn't want to talk about it, what makes you think I want to?"

"You don't even know what I want, Shadow," I growled.

"Yes I do!" Shadow yelled. "You want know why Tails seems to hate you!"

"Well, yes."

"And I'm not going to tell you! Knuckles knows, ask him! Other than that, I have been sworn to secrecy. But here's a hint, buddy, he doesn't hate you, he hates himself."

"What?" I asked.

"Talk to him, Sonic. You don't need to hear this from me. Tails has a reason why he won't tell you. I'm sorry."

"When did you get so smart, Shadow," I asked.

"Sonic, try talking to those two. They _are_ your friends, aren't they?"

"Last time I checked," I muttered.

"Well, go check again and be happy you have friends," Shadow said. There was a soft click and then a dial tone.

"Thanks for nothing!" I yelled at the phone.

"Your welcome!" I spun around to see Knuckles and Tails coming out of the house. "What are you thanking me for?" He asked.

"Nothing," I snapped. "Knux, you go ahead. I have to talk to Tails."

"Sonic, I don't think that's a good idea. You and he aren't on the best terms right now. I don't think you two should be talking right now."

"I'm trying to get on good terms with him," I growled.

"Don't! Just leave him alone for now! He doesn't _want_ to talk to you!"

"Well, I want to talk to him!"

"Fine! It's your funeral! I'm going to the Temple. I will meet you two there!" Knuckles turned and headed down the hill. I sighed. Anymore of this and I wouldn't have any friends to speak of.

I waited until Tails came out of the house. While I waited, I came up with a few things that I would say to get him to talk to me, but sadly, I didn't use any of them. When he walked out of the house, I grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face me. "Tails, what is going on?"

Tails glared at me. "Nothing!" He said. "Sonic, can we not talk about this here and now. How about when we get to the Temple?"

"No!" I said, getting annoyed. "Tails, Shadow won't tell me wha…"

"Wait, you called Shadow? You didn't trust me enough to wait until I was ready to tell you?"

"It's not like that! Just tell me what happened in the future!"

"I don't remember!"

"Yes you do!" I yelled.

"No! I don't!" Tails yelled back.

"Please!"

"I can't!"

"Why?" I screamed.

"Because I don't want you to hate me!" Tails yelled.

"Why would I hate you?" I asked, keeping my voice level down.

"No reason," Tails muttered. With a slight grunt, he turned and walked away. I shook my head. I was feeling the pain in my shoulder again. The doctor had told me not to over stress myself.

_Great, hedgehog, just great!_ I thought angrily and followed Tails. How long would this last? Ceaira would find us again, and I knew it. The peace wouldn't last long.

And I always hate it when I'm right. When Tails and I got to the Temple, Knuckles was already packing our things back. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Change of plans, guys," Knuckles answered. "Chaotix was robbed and we all know who did it."

"I thought you didn't care about them right now," I said.

Knuckles shrugged. "No one else is getting hurt because I didn't believe Espio the first time this happened," he said.

"Knux, it's not your fault." I said. "Chaotix can take are of themselves and you know it."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not going to abandon them."

"Like you abandoned us?" I growled. Knuckles glared at me, but didn't say anything.

"Oooo-kay!" Tails said cutting into the argument. "Come on, Sonic. Let's just go help Chaotix. Maybe we can all go on 'vacation' together."

"No!" I growled. I wasn't sure why I didn't want them around. It just seemed like I had enough problems to deal with without having to make sure a group of idiots. "Can't we just leave them out of this?"

"It's too late for that, Sonic!" Knuckles growled.

I sighed. "Okay, so their in on this, but they don't you think that we shouldn't get them even more involved?"

"Sonic, do you even hear yourself? The robbery was a warning! That girl wants me dead and she'll kill anyone to make sure that happens! I won't let them suffer for my mistake!"

"Knuckles, we just can't work with them. They don't like us!"

"Aren't you like a hero or something?" Knuckles asked.

I looked over at Tails and he shrugged. I was angry. I might not have meant what I said after that, but after thinking about it, I don't think it would have minded it much.

"Well," I growled. "Maybe I'm tired of playing Hero!"

_Author's note: Well, this story has taken a different path from the original plot, but I do believe that's okay! Before you read the rest of this story (which is 4-5 more chapters), I have to warn you that this story has a very sad ending! Just a warning!_


	7. What I'm Made of

_Author's note: You guys have been trying to guess the ending, but I ain't saying anything. This chapter is one of the reasons why this story is rated "T"_. _No, this isn't the final, climatic battle with Ceaira: That happens a little bit later. _

_Chapter Seven: What I'm Made Of_

Tails paled visibly under his fur and Knuckles was gawking at me. "What did you say?" He asked.

"I said, 'Maybe I'm tied of playing hero!'" I answered.

Tails gave Knuckles a knowing look and Knuckles shook his head sadly. Tails nodded and took off flying away from us. I felt left out somehow. I felt like they were rejecting me. I could feel it. I had said something that spooked Tails to death and Knuckles was staring daggers at me. "Sonic," he said. I could tell he was trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. "If only you knew," he whispered.

"Then tell me, Knuckles!" I yelled. My shoulder had begun to bother me again. I wondered if the medicine was wearing off.

"Sonic, I can't! Tails is the only one you should hear that from."

"Knuckles, I want us to be friends again." I said. My shoulder was _really _hurting.

"We never were not friends, Sonic. I can assure you, Tails is just under a lot of stress. He wants so bad to tell you. He's scared Sonic. Terrified!"

"Why" was all I could get out. My shoulder was killing me. I could feel the fever spreading throughout my body. Maybe they didn't put enough pain reliever in me, or maybe the infection never really left.

"Sonic?" Knuckles asked. I hardly heard him. The fever was spreading too fast. This didn't feel like a normal fever. I shook my head and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I felt rough hands on me, and I felt myself flying through the air. I hit the rough temple walls and fell down on it.

"Knuckles," I gasped, wondering why in the world he was attacking me.

"Think again, Sonic," a voice snarled. A _female_ voice.

"Oh no," I whispered.

"Oh yes," Ceaira said with a laugh.

"Where's Knuckles?" I asked, trying to stand. My head was clearing some. It was the adrenalin rush.

"Right here," Knuckles said, landing a punch in Ceaira's back. "That was for a lot of things, Ceaira, but this," he landed another punch in her head, "was for messing with the wrong guy on the wrong day."

I couldn't get up. I shook my head again, but that didn't help. Ceaira lunged for Knuckles' throat. Knuckles tried to dodge, but he didn't see the attack coming and didn't have enough time to think to get out of her grip. Her hands wrapped around his neck and I was powerless to do anything but watch. He attempted to pry her strong hands from his neck, but he couldn't. She seemed strong when I fought her. _Come on,_ I thought bitterly. _Get up! _My shoulder was burning horribly. Man, I hate infections! I managed to get on my hands and knees. I knew then what was happening. The crude bandage must have been some dirty material because the doctors couldn't get rid of the infection.

I looked up from my kneeling position. Knuckles was turning deathly pale. He had stopped fighting by now and was left to useless gasping. I couldn't watch it anymore. I stood up weakly. There was a moment of brief dizziness. "Put…Him…Down," I gasped. Ceaira turned to me. She laughed at my weakened state.

"Why don't you make me, hero?" She growled. Knuckles looked at me. He smiled and his eyes rolled back in his head. He went limp in her arms. This infuriated me. Without a target, or the strength, I lunged for Ceaira. She didn't seem scared, but she did drop Knuckles to counteract my attack. I dodged so she didn't touch my wounded shoulder. "You are more of a nuisance than I thought you'd be, Sonic."

"Well, I wish I could say the same thing about you," I said through gritted teeth, "But I find you to be just as annoying as I thought you'd be."

"You don't know when you're beaten, Sonic."

"I'm not beaten 'till I'm dead," I retorted.

"That can be highly arranged," She growled.

She pulled put her spear and I froze. _It's just a weapon, _I thought. _It's only a weapon. _Ceaira smiled as she saw my hesitation. "What's the matter, Hedgehog? Scared of a little weapon."

"A little," I whispered. Why was I afraid of it? So what if I got impaled by it! I've had worse injuries! Ceaira laughed at my weakness. I lunged for her. She easily sidestepped the attack.

"Losing your touch, huh, Sonic?" She said with a laugh. She swung the spear. I tried to jump above it, but I misjudged the distance from the spear to the ground. The shaft caught my legs. I yelped painfully as I landed on my inflamed shoulder. The pain didn't hit until a few seconds later. Then the scream came after that. The pain was almost unbearable. If the blasted shoulder wasn't broken before, it was now. A kick came to my head. I yelled again and grabbed where she hit me. "This seems oddly familiar, Sonic." She said. I had no idea what she was talking about. I shook my head. _Forget it,_ I thought. I felt a sharp pain where Tails had hurled that screwdriver into me. I was surprised my hip didn't shatter. I screamed. Ceaira had elbowed me. I felt like my world was falling apart around me.

"Uncle, mercy!" I cried. I was hurting all over. I looked over to Knuckles. He was completely out. I groaned sadly. "I hate you," I growled.

"Hate is such a strong word, Sonic," she said.

"I know," I groaned. "It's why I used it."

Ceaira laughed. "You really do have a dark side, Sonic."

"Why me?" I asked. The last thing I saw was a fist impacting my head.

_

* * *

_

_I opened my eyes. My first thought was that I was dead, but I could feel the pain surging through my body. I stood up, but no one was around. I was still in the ruins. Everyone was gone. How could I have been so stupid? I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I shook my head and tried to wet my lips. My mouth was completely dry. _This isn't good_, I thought. It still didn't occur to me that this was a dream. I tried to cry out again, but nothing came out. I spun around . For some reason the pain was fading. I looked down at the grass around me. It was black. I backed away. I hit something behind me. Thinking it was the temple, I turned. It wasn't. Or, it used to be the temple. Now it was a pile of ruble. I looked to the sky only to see red and grey clouds. I paled. _

"_Welcome to your world," a voice whispered. I looked beside me to see a black, shadowy figure. _

"_My world?" I asked._

"_Yes," the figure said. "You world. We've been waiting for you." _

_I looked at the figure. "Waiting for me? There must be some mistake." _

_The figure bowed deeply at me. "No mistake, our ruler." _

"_Ruler? The only thing I rule is the track field," I replied._

"_No, my master, you rule this world." _

"_Umm. . . You are mistaking me for someone else. Maybe a certain black hedgehog. I'm a hero, not a ruler to this." _

"_No. You must accept it, master. I have been waiting for you."_

_I shook my head. "No, you haven't!" I yelled. _

"_Of course I have, master." _

"_Stop calling me that!" I said, trying to back away. _

"_But, my master…"_

"_I am _not_ your master!" _

_The figure walked up to me and placed a hand on me. The hand was as cold as ice. There was no life in the hand. I tried to pull away, but I couldn't. "Dear master," the figure said. "You must accept your fate. This is who you are." _

"_No!" I yelled. "No…" My struggles were getting weaker. I was falling into the cold embrace of the figure. _

"_There, my master. Sleep. Tomorrow all will be well again." _

_I shook my head. I could feel myself slipping into the abyss. "No," I whispered. _

"_it is okay, Master. I will be back shortly for you." The figure disappeared as my vision faded._

_Author's note: That dream is very important!_


	8. True Confessions

_Author's note: Hello! Yeah… Like I said, this story is taking a rather different turn than I thought it would. Whether or not it's a turn for the better, or worse is for you to decide!_

_Chapter Eight: True Confessions _

The first thing I was aware of was blinding pain. I kept my eyes closed. I knew I'd be back in the hospital soon. Finally, I decided to wake up. The first thing I saw was Knuckles standing over me. I saw him relax as my eyes opened. "Thank goodness," he muttered. "I thought for sure we had lost you this time."

I smiled up at him. "Nah, Knux. I die really hard. You should know by now."

Knuckles gently petted me on my good shoulder. "I don't get you," he muttered.

"And you never will," I said.

"How do you keep a positive attitude? Your shoulder is most likely shattered and you don't care!"

I sat up weakly. "Knuckles," I started. "I do care, but if I've lost everything else, I will not lose who I am. And I'm just a simple guy who can't and won't be brought down."

He smiled and shook his head. "But this has literally gone way too far. If she wants me, why does she keep going after you?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure, Knuckles."

He shook his own head and swore. He angrily punched the wall of the Temple. "This is all my blasted fault!" He yelled. I let him take a few deep breaths. I stood and painfully walked over to where he was standing.

_Well, _I thought. _At least your hip isn't broken. _I placed a hand on his back. "You can't blame yourself, Knux. She's psychotic. You couldn't have done anything."

He glared at me angrily. "I was blinded by the fact that maybe there was some one out there who was like me! I wanted nothing more than…" He stopped.

I looked at him. "You have friends, Knuckles."

"I know," he muttered. "But I want an echidna! I don't want to be the last of my kind! I don't want to be alone." He stood up and walked away.

I lifted my head to watch him go. "You're not," I whispered. "You're not."

I leaned against the Temple and slid down to a sitting position. How could I have been so stupid? My life was falling apart. I guess I should have been screaming why. In all honesty, I could rest the blame squarely on Knuckles' shoulders, but I couldn't. He has gone through so much. How could I possibly blame him? All he wanted was some one to be there for him. There was a thud of some one landing on the ground. I looked up to see Ceaira standing before me. "Go away," I growled.

She cocked her head. "That's all you're going to say to me, Sonic. 'Go away'? I'm ashamed."

"Don't you have anything better to do?" I growled. "I mean, killing me and my friends can't be your only hobby!"

"Actually, it is."

I glared at her. "'Why' is what I want to know! Why do you hate us so much? What did we _ever_ do to you?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You destroyed my life, so I'm going to destroy yours!"

"Knuckles killed that monster! That's _all!_ How can you possibly care for something like that? It was demonic!"

"And it's also been in my family for hundreds of years! You friend took the only thing I ever had!"

I was struggling to keep my temper. I knew I wouldn't survive five minutes of hand-to-hand combat with her. "And you gave him everything he ever wanted and then ripped it away from him! How can you be so heartless?"

Ceaira laughed bitterly. "You think that was heartless? You don't know the meaning of the words! I destroyed my own village to protect that creature that your friend killed. Hundreds of my kind perished and Knuckles made their deaths vain! He killed the one thing I killed my species for!"

I stared at her. "You idiot! You had everything! You had a species! You had everything he wanted and you gave it away for some creature that has probably done nothing for you! You're selfish!"

"Oh, _I'm_ selfish?" Ceaira growled.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What is that suppose to mean?"

She chuckled. "Please! You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Enlighten me," I said.

"Tails? Ever thought to think maybe he has problems?"

"I know he's going through some hard times," I muttered.

She smiled. "Right. But still you insist on him talking to you. He is going through a difficult time and all you care about is why he won't talk to you. That's pretty selfish if you ask me."

"Well," I said, "_nobody asked you!_"

"I don't care if you didn't ask me; I still gave you my opinion!"

I stood up. Fire was burning in my eyes. "How dare you point out my tiny flaws while you have so much more than I do? Have you no shame?"

"Shame?" She growled. "I have traded my shame for pride! You don't know me, Sonic! You have no idea what I've been through! You have no respect for me!"

"I'll give you respect when you earn it, Ceaira," I snarled.

"I've earned respect, Sonic. I've earned it more than you have!"

It was my turn to laugh bitterly. It dripped with venom. "Respect? No, you have earned nothing! Respect is something you earn for doing the right thing, not for killing your species!"

"I did what I believed was right!"

"_How_ can that be right? How can you justify killing hundreds of innocent creatures to protect one? How can you possibly think you're in the right and everyone is in the wrong?" I pointed to my shattered shoulder. "How can you say that doing this to some one is _right? HOW?_"

"Shut up!" She screamed. "Just shut up, Sonic! You don't know anything about who I really am!"

"I know enough, Ceaira! I know you are a murderer and you find it amusing to see other people suffer because you're angry!"

She glared at me and, to my astonishment, tears were slipping down her cheeks. "You know nothing! You have no idea what I've been through!"

I took a deep breath. "Ceaira, it can't be so bad that you have to kill to make yourself feel better," I said, trying to calm us both down. "You can't be angry forever."

"Angry? You think I'm doing this because I'm angry? That's all you think about anyone who has done wrong, right? We're all evil to you! You live in black and white, Sonic! Where's the grey area? Where's the neutral? Why is everything so point-and-shoot to you?"

"Oh, it's all point-and-shoot to me, huh? What about you? Knuckles did the world a favor be killing your Beast! He didn't mean to hurt you in the process! He was doing what _he_ thought was right! He only wanted what he thought was best for this world!"

"_BEST?_ You didn't even know the Beast existed until almost two years ago and now you're telling me this place is better without it? He destroyed my world and now I'm going to destroy his!"

"You're killing people!"

"He killed someone!" Ceaira yelled. "You are judging me!"

I stared at her, at a lost. "He killed a villain!"

"Oh, so the heroes get special privileges, is that it? Everyone's fine with the death of something they don't understand, but when the heroes are attacked, the world has to stop so they can make it better!"

"No one cares about villains because they don't care about anyone else!"

Ceaira stared at me. Her face was soaked with tears and sweat. "I cared! I cared about the people I killed. I cared about the Beast. I cared about my mentor. _They_ didn't care! Do you have any idea how hard it was to kill them? I regret it everyday of my life! I cared, but you don't care about me!"

She spun and disappeared into the forest. I bowed head. Did she really care? Did she honestly have a problem killing her village? I shook my head and rubbed it. I was being sucked into a plot I didn't want to be in. I was literally scared. When we were dealing with Eggman, we knew what to expect, but this time we were dealing with someone we knew nothing about. And it seemed, surprisingly, that she actually cared about some one other than herself.

_Author's note: I think I actually cried writing this chapter. It has more emotion than I wanted it to, but I hope that the emotion made it better. That is one of the only peaceful chapters with Ceaira and I really hoped you enjoyed it! I practically poured my heart out to write this thing, so I really hope you liked it!_


	9. Truth

_Author's note: Ok, this has been requested. Shadow was not supposed to appear in this story, but he does appear now. _

_Chapter Nine: Truth _

All I could do was stare blankly into the underbrush. "Knuckles!" I called. I got no answer. I shook my head. "He has to be somewhere near here. He wouldn't have just left me for dead, would he?" As it turned around, he did. I waited for almost two hours, and he never came back. I shook my head and stood up. "Well," I muttered. "Looks like I'm going to walk." My hip was screaming with pain and my shoulder was still inflamed and puffy. I took a step and nearly cried out. I only stopped myself by biting down on my lip. "No more weakness," I growled to myself through my now blood covered mouth. I was sick of weakness. I was sick of not knowing what was happening. And suddenly, I blamed Knuckles. He _left_ me! This was his girlfriend who decided it would be fun to try and kill me!

I shook my head. "Calm down, buddy," I muttered softly. "We've already got Tails on our bad side; let's not get Knuckles there too."

"You start talking to yourself, and then people will think you're crazy."

I laughed. "Very funny. And besides, it's perfectly fine to talk to yourself as long as you don't answer yourself," I said. Espio jumped down from a tree.

"Knuckles gave me a call when he remembered that you were left alone out here. He wanted me to come get you, but when I found out that you weren't where he told me he left you, I thought the worst. It looks like you are doing just fine," he said.

I smiled despite myself. "You know what they say, can't keep a good man down."

Espio pushed me gently. "Yeah, but you aren't a good man, are you?" I glared at him. "What?" He said innocently

I rolled my eyes and pushed him back. "Nothing," I said.

Espio shook his head. "You are one creepy guy," He said.

"And your not?" I asked. He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You know, you aren't in any position to make fun of me," he said with an almost evil glare in his eyes.

"Oh dear!" I said with mock fear that was followed by a short laugh. Espio laughed as well. I guess both of us just wanted to show the other that we weren't entirely letting this situation get to us. But, in all honesty, I was getting scared. Ceaira was creepy. I mean, like I said, at least when we were fighting Eggman, we _knew_ what we were doing. We had never been to the question "What are his intentions?" We never asked, "Do we have to kill him?" Ceaira was different. We were asking these questions. Was all that she wanted was revenge, or was it more? Is she too dangerous to be left alive, or can we let her roam free after we change her to the good side? _Can_ we change her to the good side? And if we can't, do we lock her in jail, or do we just kill her?

Never before have we been faced with these questions. All our villains were either robots or a psycho that we knew we could beat. I honestly didn't know what to do if we came to that point where we had to decide. I didn't think I could bring myself to kill her. I doubted deeply that I could. I had her under her own weapon. All I had to do was thrust it into her chest and this could have all ended. And I couldn't do it. I let her go. I let my blasted hero instinct tell me it was _wrong_ to kill! Why didn't I think about self defense? I could have killed her if I had just forgotten everything I believed in! If only I could have, just that once, played villain. I wish I could have.

_Maybe_, I thought, _to beat this villain, you have to become a villain. _

I shook my head. How could I even think about killing someone? Espio was staring at me, practically stunned by my silence. "You okay?" He asked. All the laughter was gone from his eyes.

I nodded. "I'm fine, Espio. I was just thinking about what we're going to do if and when we beat Ceaira. Apparently keeping her hidden in a house hold doesn't work."

Espio shook his head and stared at the ground. "Look, when push comes to shove, we will have to kill her. As far as I'm concerned, push has already gone to shove! Sonic, it's the only way."

"I don't know. How can I kill someone? I don't think I can order anyone to kill someone."

Espio shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you." He said. "But you have to make your decision soon before this gets too far out of hand." He stopped and signaled me to do the same. "Shush," he whispered. I stopped and listened. I heard faint foot steps. I groaned softly. I knew Espio could fight, but I couldn't.

"I got it from here, detective," a voice said. It was male so I relaxed. A red and black hedgehog stepped out. "I have to talk to him," Shadow finished. Espio nodded and turn invisible. Some of the bushes parted and he was gone.

"Alright, you have me alone. What do you want?"

Shadow sighed sadly. "I didn't want to interfere with this, but Tails has left me with no choice."

"Are you talking about your time warp thing?" I asked. Shadow nodded. "Alright, spill the beans."

"I have no beans to spill, Sonic; I only have a gift for you. Please, just take it and do not ask me what it is. Present it to Tails. He will then, hopefully, see that he can no longer hide the truth from you." I nodded, getting scared of what the older hedgehog was about to give me. Shadow grabbed my hand and placed something hard within it. "Parting gift," he said.

I gulped and looked down to my hand. In it was a blood stained shard of some sort. I shook my head. "I don't get it, Shadow," I said.

Shadow stared at me with sad eyes. The look made me jump. "It's a weapon, Sonic. Please understand when you ask Tails about it, he'll probably deny he's ever seen it. You need to tell him that I said that it's time. He'll then know that I gave the weapon."

"But why do I need a weapon?" I asked. Shadow just shook his head and patted me gently.

"Detective!" He yelled. Espio reappeared in the path. "You may continue." And he was gone.

Espio looked at me. "What did he want?"

I wrapped my hand around the shard. "I don't know," I muttered. "Let's go find Tails."

* * *

We found him in his workshop. "You sure you don't want me to stay?" Espio asked. I took a deep breath. I may need a witness if this got out of hand.

"Nah, Espio. Thanks anyway. I need to do this by myself." Espio nodded and turned and walked away. All I could do was watch. When he was out of ear shot, I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Tails called. I opened the door. Tails walked into the living room. He stopped short and stared at me. I guess I wasn't in the best shape of my life. I was caked in blood and sweat. "Sonic, I told you, I don't want to talk about it."

Maybe this will change your mind," I said, holding the blood stained shard in my hand. Tails gulped.

"Where did you get that?" He whispered. I hated to black mail him like that, but I had to.

"Shadow gave it to me. He said if I showed it to you, then you would have to tell me what was going on."

Tails groaned. "It's a weapon," he muttered.

"Who used it?" I asked.

"I did," Tails responded. He bowed his head sadly.

"On who?" I asked.

"No one," he whispered. "Please, I don't want to talk about this now!"

"Tails, I won't be angry," I said.

"Yes you will!" He said.

"What is it?" I yelled.

"A murder weapon," Tails whispered sadly.

"Murder?" I said. Tails nodded. "Did you use it?"

"Yes," Tails whispered.

"Whose blood is this?"

Tails shook his head. "No one's," he said.

"Whose blood is this?" I yelled.

"Yours!" Tails screamed. "It's yours, okay?" He turned away and walked out the door. I was left staring down at the shard. Tails killed me in the future! I was murdered by my best friend? I dropped the shard to the floor and followed it with my eyes. I stared blankly at the blood stained shard. _My _blood that stained that shard. _My_ life that the shard took at the hands of _my _best friend. I grabbed the shard and threw it at the wall where it stuck. I collapsed to my knees, unsure if I should cry, or be angry.


	10. Can Even Take the Heart inside my Chest

_Author's note: Dun…Dun… Dun! Ok, I'm done! (No pun intended) I had a bad day, so this is the result of that._

_Chapter Ten: You Can Even Take the Heart inside my Chest_

I couldn't tell you how long I sat on my knees. Tails never returned and Espio never walked back in. I wanted to cry. I didn't fight the tears, I fought for them. I couldn't make myself cry. My eyes stayed dry. I wanted to feel pain, but all I felt was anger. My dry heaves slowly became deep breaths as cold realization began to set in. I could feel deadly rage spread through my body. I could feel pure hate and rage taking grip. Hate's cold fingers gripped my heart, chilling the blood in my body. My hands began to tremble as I stood up.

I looked around the house for a weapon. My eyes landed on the emerald sharp. "Oh, the irony," I growled. I walked slowly to the shard and yanked it out of the wall with trembling hands. _Think about this!_ A voice screamed in my head. It was the only part of me that was still thinking rationally. I ignored the plea and walked out of the house.

_Think about what you're about to do!_ I thought, trying to reason with my pain. Okay, so I wasn't about to go off and kill Tails. I knew he had a reason for killing me. I could still think straight enough to realize that he was still my best friend. What I was about to do was the unthinkable. I _was_ about to commit murder.

My first thought was that I had to find Knuckles. He had to know what I was about to do. I walked through the forest, calling his names. I was no longer concerned Ceaira would find me. I would welcome her attack. "Knuckles!" I called.

"What?" He walked into the path. I stopped and stared at him. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was wet. His eyes widened as he looked at me. "Are you okay?" He asked. "You look like death."

"I'm fine," I snapped. There was a sharp to my voice. My shoulder had become completely inflamed.

Knuckles stepped forward. "Calm down," he said. He looked down and saw the shard in my hand. "Sonic, you're in pain." His voice was trying to stay calm. "Pain makes people crazy. Come on, I'll get you to the hospital."

"I don't need the hospital," I growled. "I know what I have to do."

Knuckles looked at me. "You're not thinking…" He didn't finish. He didn't have to.

"I'm not going after Tails, Knuckles. I'm going after a much bigger target."

Knuckles' eyes widened. "No!" He said. "Please! Sonic, you can't kill her!"

"How could you defend her?" I yelled.

"She's all I have left, Sonic!"

"What about us, huh? The friends you've known for years? Aren't we important to you anymore?"

"No... Yes! You are, but she's the closest thing to an echidna I've ever been close to in my life!"

"And she wants us dead! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Once again, no tears would come. All that came was pain and rage. "Don't you even care anymore?"

"Please! Give me more time! I'll try to change her. She has to realize that we are the last of our kind!"

I laughed. "She's not an echidna and you aren't what ever she is!" I closed my eyes in pain from my shoulder.

Knuckles sighed. "You're hurt," he whispered. "Please. I don't want you to die."

"Oh, now you care enough to want me to go to the hospital!"

"Stop acting like a child! You are nineteen years old! Start acting like it!"

"You're twenty! You start acting like it! This isn't some grade school crush, Knuckles. This is a murderer! This is someone who has been trying to kill us for almost two years! How can you side with her?"

Knuckles took a deep breath. He placed a hand on my good shoulder. "Alright, now let's just take a few deep breaths. You're in pain, I can tell. Just calm down and we'll get you to the hospital."

I growled and pushed him into a tree. "Leave me alone!" I snarled. "I'm going to do what I have to do."

He looked up at me from where he was. "You're changing," he muttered. "And it ain't for the good."

I spun, trying to act like I didn't hear what he had to say. I tried to act like he hadn't said a word, but the statement burned a hole in the icy shell that had engulfed me. I shook my head and headed toward where we had seen Ceaira last. _Think about what you're doing! _My rational side screamed. _You're heading down a path you can't turn back from! Think about this!_

I snarled and shrugged off the thoughts. How was I supposed to admit I was wrong? I came up to the bloodstained portion of the Temple. "Alright, Ceaira!" I yelled, spreading my arms and revealing my chest. "I'm ready to fight you!"

Sure enough, she was waiting for my return. "You idiot," she growled as she jumped from a tree. "You're stupid enough to come back and stupid enough to challenge me."

"Stupid?" I asked. Her eyes looked me over. I watched them as they fell on the weapon in my hand. They widened and I knew she knew I meant business. "I think you're the stupid one here!" I lunged with new fire in my heart. Ceaira tried to get out of the way, but I swiped, cutting her across her left shin. She howled in pain as the blood flowed. I smiled and lunged again. This time she didn't see it coming and took the blow head on. I round kicked her right between the eyes.

She stumbled back, holding her head. I attacked mercilessly. All the mental and physical pain I had suffered was being thrown upon her as I stabbed, slashed, and kicked. Punching was out of the question. I was still only fighting with one hand. I had never attacked with such hatred. No one had ever felt such a horrid rush of attacks and pain waves. I wanted her dead. I wanted her to feel the pain she's caused me and my friends. But what really freaked me out was that Ceaira didn't scream throughout the entire attack. She just took it, as if she knew she deserved it. This tugged at something inside me but I didn't listen to it.

"Sonic, stop!" A voice screamed. I stopped and turn around to see Knuckles standing a few feet away.

I looked down at Ceaira. She was unconscious, or dead. The tears finally came. I dropped the shard. "What have I done?" I whispered.

Knuckles ignored me. He walked over to the creature and checked her pulse. "She's alive," he whispered. "For now." He looked at me. "I can't believe you went through with this."

"I can't either. I'm going to the hospital."

Knuckles nodded. "That's a good idea. Sonic, what ever happens, just know I forgive you. You had a moment. You're in pain. Listen; just patch things up with everyone. For now, this never happened. If Tails finds out about this, he'll never talk to you again. He's scared. What he did to you, I wasn't there to see it, but the pain in his eyes when he told me was unbearable."

I shook my head. "I'm so sorry," I muttered. I looked at the fading sky. "Maybe I can make it back before it gets too dark. What are you going to do?"

"I'll stay here. If she dies, I'll tell you. I'll give you a head start and carry her to the hospital. Hopefully we can fix this."

I nodded. "I'll see you later," I said. How was I to know I'd never see him again? As I walked away, I heard a loud scream. I spun around. "KNUCKLES!" I yelled. The scream echoed through out the forest and faded with the dying light as day turned to night…

_Author's note: The End!!! Mwahahahaha! And no, I'm not kidding. KA4 is officially ended! I told you it was sad! What can I say? Well, yeah. I guess I could say Knuckles Adventure has officially ended. There was only four in the series! I will have a new story up soon! Hope ya'll liked the series! _

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Just kidding! I'm a horrible person, aren't I /shrug/ Ok, there's a 5th, if__ I get enough requests for the next. If you want it to end /points up/ there, then I can totally live with the fact. _I_ know what happens. It's my story. It doesn't bother me if you guys don't want the end of the story. (And I just put "w"s there because I'm weird!)_


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